Hallmark is a card company, not a lifestyle

Family Rule #4: In conjunction with family rules 1–3, no other activities/experiences are allowed that would ever be considered for a Hallmark made-for-TV movie.

Yes, this is totally a catch-all rule. There can be no loopholes in the family rules! (Don’t like it? Too bad, my rules!)

Growing up, my biggest fears were falling and failing. I am still abnormally terrified of heights—my hands get clammy from walking too close to the railing on the second story as my mind thinks of several creative ways I could trip/get pushed/slip under that protection. Don’t even get me started on what I feel while hiking on a mountain ledge.

Dealing with the fear of failure is a subject for a-whole-nother post.

However, those fears pale in comparison to my newly married #1 fear:  the fear of my life becoming a Hallmark made-for-TV movie. Right now Ryan have so much ahead of us, and I’m terrified of not being able to experience everything I want to—having babies, making memories and growing old together. I do not want to battle cancer while my husband has an affair and my children die in car crashes. Nor do I want to be left an unexpected windfall only to find that my family tears itself apart arguing over the wealth while I die penniless and alone. Nor do I want a “learning experience” as my husband slowly dies of diabetes while I express my emotions through overeating and my children express theirs through acting out or bad acting.

It’s not that I want to sidestep pain or sadness. I know that those are part of a normal life and that I wouldn’t be complete without them. I just want all the joys, frustrations, and sorrows inherent in a normal life.